1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display and, more particularly, to a liquid crystal panel that is less susceptible to damage as a result of external impact.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a liquid crystal display is a display apparatus installed on an electronic appliance such as a mobile terminal, a monitor, or the like, and includes a pair of glass layers having electrodes, respectively, and liquid crystals, which are at an intermediate state between solid and liquid, injected between the glass layers so as to display character or image information by applying an electric field to electrodes.
Such a liquid crystal display can be installed on a folder type mobile terminal 1, as shown in FIG. 1, so as to display the status of the terminal or characters and image information. A liquid crystal panel includes a liquid crystal display 10, that typically fails to be self-luminescent. Hence, a backlight is installed at a rear side of the liquid crystal panel so that light emitted from the backlight allows characters or image information displayed on the liquid crystal panel to be more clearly displayed.
Backlights are mainly divided into (1) a direct type system shedding light on a front face of the liquid crystal panel, using electro-luminescence (EL) and (2) an edge type system shedding light on the liquid crystal panel using the light diffused through a light-guiding plate from a light source installed at one side or both sides of the liquid crystal panel. A liquid crystal display having the former backlight system is widely applied to small-sized electronic appliances such as mobile terminals.
FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded perspective view of a liquid crystal display using a direct type backlight. A liquid crystal display 10 of a mobile terminal is installed in a frame 17 fixed inside a case (not shown) so as to display character or image information through a viewing window 5 (FIG. 1). The liquid crystal display 10 includes a liquid crystal panel 11 and a flexible print circuit (FPC) 12 connected to the liquid crystal panel 11 so that an output signal can be inputted thereto. A reflective plate 13 is attached in one body to a rear face of the liquid crystal panel 11 so as to reflect incident light.
A backlight 15 is placed at the rear face of the liquid crystal panel 11 to which the reflective plate 13 is attached so as to illuminate the flat liquid crystal panel 11. In this case, the reflective plate 13 transmits light emitted from the backlight 15 in the direction of the liquid crystal panel 11. The reflective plate 13 and the backlight 15 are attached to each other through a double-coated adhesive tape 20. Therefore, the liquid crystal panel 11, reflective plate 13, and backlight 15 are attached to each other in one body so as to constitute a liquid crystal panel assembly. The liquid crystal panel assembly is disposed in the frame 17.
The double-coated adhesive tapes 20 are attached respectively to both parts 13p and 15p between the reflective plate 13 and backlight 15 attached to the liquid crystal panel 11 in one body so as to maintain adhesiveness between the liquid crystal panel 11 and backlight 15 as well as not to interfere light irradiated from the backlight 15.
The liquid crystal panel 11 has a liquid crystal injection part 14 sealed after the injection of liquid crystals between the two glass layers. The double-coated adhesive tapes 20 are attached to the edge portion of the liquid crystal injection part 14 and the opposite edge thereto, respectively. Portion 20a of one of the double-coated adhesive tapes 20, protrudes from the outer periphery of the backlight 15, as shown in FIG. 3, so as to attached to an inner face 17a of the frame 17 (shown in FIG. 2). The front side of the liquid crystal panel 11, as shown in FIG. 2, is covered with a polarizing plate 19 positioned so as to transmit the light that passes through the liquid crystal panel 11.
Since the double-coated adhesive tapes 20 are attached to the edge of the liquid crystal injection part 14, a gap is generated in the area where the injection part is formed. Unfortunately, as the result of an impact on the liquid crystal panel 11 (see FIG. 5), bleeding can occur at the gapped area so as to generate spots S (see FIG. 5). Due to the construction of the liquid crystal assembly, crystal injection part 14 disposed between reflective plate 13 and a polarized lens cover 19 (at area 14) is not sealed as strongly as the other edges of the assembly. As such, an impact to the assembly can cause severe bleeding in that area.
Referring to FIG. 4, the upper layer 11a and lower layer 11b, can be widened by an impact in directions A and B, respectively. Vacuum bubbles may form in the widened area from liquid crystals 11c filling a space between the layers 11a and 11b so as to bring about bleeding spots image or character information may be incorrectly displayed due to such bleeding. Mobile communication appliances such as mobile terminal are dropped often. Bleeding may worsen as the result of successive impacts, as shown in FIG. 5, at the part where the liquid crystal injection part 14 is located.